3 Questions You Should Ask When Choosing A Culinary Partner

Let our simple guide help you with this decision.

We understand how difficult it is to find a partner that truly believes in exploring diverse food together. You need a partner for you – and your customers – that you can trust and shares your love of food and an excitement for discovering new and unique custom flavors. You probably have a checklist to help with your search.

But are you asking the right questions?

We are genuinely interested in helping our customers, so here are our tips to choose the right partner for custom flavors in sauces, dressings, dips and drizzles.

1. Are they collaborating with you?

The food industry is fiercely competitive, so it’s imperative that your food manufacturer knows how to help your product stand out. They need to be able to craft a product that elevates food from ordinary to extraordinary. But, at the same time, they need to stay true to your vision and your brand. That can only happen in a genuine partnership, working together for a common goal.

Some food manufacturers will attempt to shoehorn your vision for your product into their existing products, with, at best, minimal consideration of your unique requirements. Ultimately, they’re really working for themselves, not for you.

We are an end-to-end Custom Food Solution Partner, not just another tactical food supplier. We understand the nuance of packaging with product safety in mind, how to elevate customer perception of your brand, and we’ll work with you, so you can taste the product you’ve been dreaming about. In fact, we’ll challenge you to dream bigger — and we’ll help you realize the full potential of your brand.

2. Are they bubbling with food ideas?

Knowing the trends is one thing. Knowing how to apply them in new and delicious ways – that’s something else entirely. So, where do game-changing, business-building, customer-winning food ideas come from?

They come from creative minds with the talent and the tools to turn concepts into creations. An R&D lab with qualified and passionate culinary and food science professionals is the heart of food manufacturing. The right team with the right facility makes flavor experimentation, with new spices and other ingredients, look easy.

Maybe that means using a trending flavor like yuzu on chicken wings, spicing up a beloved classic milkshake with hot honey or even finding the perfect pairing for black garlic in a teriyaki sauce. Knowledge and a wealth of experience using global flavors, a food manufacturer should always be eager to explore new products and formulations that are authentic and live up to their hype.

Our innovative R&D Culinary Innovation Center is where we explore global flavors. You bring us your needs and your vision; it’s our job to use them as a springboard, and dive into a creative exploration of flavor, combining our culinary, market, and technical knowledge to bring your vision to life.

3. Do they understand your customers?

It’s essential for food manufacturers to stay up to date, not only with current trends but also what’s coming next. The only way they can do that is to study the behavior of consumers, focusing on their changing food purchases and consumption habits. What they say isn’t always what they buy. Understanding consumer-driven trends is important for creating a product that caters to consumers tastes and needs.

For example, many consumers welcome unique peppers like rocoto and deeply fermented flavors like gochujang as a break from routine or to indulge in food travel. Others are looking for a mix of sweet and savory (umami) experiences in their ice cream and frozen desserts.

With a deep understanding of your consumers, a knowledgeable partner can help you become a leader and innovator in the food industry.

Through the use of consumer reports, we can translate the wants and needs of your customer into unique custom sauces, dips, dressings and drizzles!

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